Executive SummaryDavis-Green Paint & Body Shop was started in 1952 by William O. Davis Sr. and his brother-in-law, Doug Green, who began repairing damaged cars out of a small garage in downtown Tyler, Texas. After a few years, Green retired from the business, but Davis continued operating the company into the late 1970s. The business grew but remained small until 1978 when William O. Davis Jr. (Bill) and his wife Barbara returned to Tyler and purchased the company.The second generation of the Davis family expanded and grew the business, earning an excellent reputation in the community for high quality work and honest business practices. In 1982, the Davis's built a brand new facility on the loop in Tyler behind Cavender's Boot City.Following the maxim of doing things the right way, the company grew steadily and the Davis's invested in state-of-the -art equipment to stay ahead of the competition and provide excellent service for customers throughout east Texas.In 2001, the Davis's again moved the operation and expanded to a new 37,000 square foot facility on Old Jacksonville Highway in the heart of the economic growth area of Tyler. Intended to inspire trust among customers, this first class facility is kept sparkling clean and looks like a brand new car dealership.In 2004, Bill and Barbara's son, Darren Davis, returned home to Tyler after serving in the Air Force as a pilot in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Darren diligently applied himself to the business and learned all the facets of daily operations. After 10 years, Darren has become president and owner of the business and his wife Pam has assumed the marketing duties for the company. About 75 percent of all family businesses are owned or controlled by one person or a married couple, another 20 percent of family businesses are controlled by siblings, and the final 5 percent are owned by groups of cousins (Gersick, Davis, Hampton, & Lansberg, 1997).One issue discussed in this interview is the question, Should a successor work for another company before entering the family business? In this article, the interviewee states the case for working elsewhere first. However, the family business literature is mixed on this subject. According to Barach et al., (1988), working for another company may broaden the experiences of the successor in the family business. Yet, valuable time may be lost while successors work outside the family business. It takes time to acquire firm-specific knowledge concerning company procedures and personnel and the successor needs to be present in the family business to accomplish this (Morris et.al, 1997; Ward, 1987). Further, Barach et al., (1988) reported that 85 percent of all successors go to work directly for the family business upon graduation from college. Successors' time is very limited and they have their hands full learning about their own business and industry. By working their way up through the ranks, successors learn the processes of their family's company and the people in their family firm. Also, successors' time may be well spent in their family business if they avoid learning improper methods and bad habits from other businesses.Now in the third generation of family ownership and management, Davis-Green is a credit to the community and a prime example of diligence, hard work, and family values. Research shows that only 30 percent of all family firms successfully complete the succession from the first generation to the second, only 10 to 15 percent of family businesses survive to the third generation, and only 3 to 5 percent continue into the fourth generation and beyond (Lansberg, 1988; Handler, 1994; Shanker & Astrachan, 1996).Author: Please tell me a little bit about yourself and your background.Darren Davis: I grew up in Tyler (Texas) and graduated from Whitehouse High School and then I went to Austin College in Sherman, Texas to play football. I got a bachelor's degree in education and then a master's degree also in education. …